PAV BHAJI

The most popular street style fast food of Mumbai. Pav bhaji is a dish that can be enjoyed at any hour of the day, be it for brunch, lunch or even as a dinner. It is a quintessential Indian snack recipe loaded with veggies and at the same time is super tempting too.

Ingredients:

For bhaji

· Oil – 1 tbsp

· Butter – 3 tbsp

· Onion – ¾ cup (chopped)

· Tomato puree – 1 cup

· Garlic paste – 1.5 tbsp

· Potatoes – 2 cups (chopped & boiled)

· Cauliflower florets – 1 cup (boiled)

· Green Peas – ¾ cup (boiled)

· Capsicum – ½ cup (chopped) optional

· Beetroot – ½ cup (chopped & boiled) optional

· Salt

· Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tbsp

· Pav bhaji masala – 1.5 tbsp

· Finely chopped coriander leaves

· Butter – 1 big cube

· Pinch sugar

· Lemon juice – 1 tsp

· Lemon for serving

For Pav:

· Butter

· Pav

· Pav bhaji masala

· Red chili powder

· Coriander leaves

Method:

· Take a tawa and keep it on medium high heat, add butter & oil, add onions and cook until they turn pinkish in colour.

· Now add the garlic paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes, till the raw smell goes away.

· Add the tomato puree and cook till oil is released.

· Further add capsicum and cook on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

· Now add salt, red chili powder and pav bhaji masala. (Preferably soak the powder in water for 20-25 minutes, this will help to get nice colour).

· Fry the masala paste for 3-4 minutes.

· Further add the boiled & chopped veggies, mix it really well & try to break down the veggie chunks with the pav bhaji masher.

· Keep the flame low and mash until the bhaji is almost crushed.

· You can adjust the consistency of the bhaji by adding additional hot water, as per your preference. Further cook for 15-20 minutes.

· Let the bhaji simmer on low flame, keep stirring occasionally.

· Check for the seasoning and adjust the salt as per taste. You can add more masala as per your family’s preference.

· Finally add freshly chopped coriander leaves, butter and lemon juice, mix well and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, your bhaji is ready to be served with nice soft buttery masala pav.

· To fry the pav, slit the pav into half, add butter on tava, sprinkle little pav bhaji masala powder and red chili powder, little coriander leaves. Fry the pav on both the sides and serve it with hot pav bhaji.

· Serve chopped onions, lemon and coriander leaves too.